Bystander
by turbomagnus
Summary: In Toledo, a young man watches people return home from World War II.


Disclaimer: Hogan's Heroes is the property of CBS and M*A*S*H of 20th Century Fox, both are used for entertainment purposes without permission or intent to profit.

Author's Note: I suppose that every Hogan's Heroes fan who is also a fanfic author at some point wants to write something about the Heroes returning home. This particular story is inspired by season one, episode twenty-six, "The Prince From The Phone Company", where Kinch is from Detroit, the girl is originally from Cleveland and they agree to meet half-way after the war - in Toledo. When I think of Toledo, I automatically think of one character from a TV show, so for something completely different (and somewhat inspired by my own 'Breakfast Club' fanfic "Ripple Effect") I decided to write their reunion from his point of view.

Though, now that I think on it... anyone else notice that they arranged that future meeting with little regard to the fact that she was married to the real Prince that Kinch was impersonating?

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"Bystander"  
By J.T. Magnus, 'Turbo'

* * *

Toledo, Ohio,  
United States of America  
Late September, 1945

Fifteen year old Maxwell Q. Klinger stood outside his favorite eatery, just taking in the after-war atmosphere that was spreading through Toledo, really through the whole United States, but he wasn't anywhere else but his hometown of Toledo, so nowhere else really mattered to him right then. The way life had been over the last three years was something the young Lebanese-American never wanted to see again, it was like all the life had been sucked straight out of the world as the war went on, and the simple truth of it was that if there was anything the teen enjoyed more than a good Hungarian Hot Dog, it was his hometown with life in it. Fortunately for him, today he could have both, standing outside Tony Packo's, hot dog in hand, watching the returning soldiers and sailors being greeting by their loved ones.

Personally, Max was also glad that he had more in common with the latter than with the former, but that was just a secret between him and his hot dog. He had nothing against anyone who had, personally, but he never wanted to have to go off to a war himself, he'd rather stay the rest of his life here in Toledo.

'Hey, hey, what have we here?' Max thought to himself as a man walked out of the train station across the road, 'Army; he's wearing wings so that means Air Corps; metal instead of patches, that makes him an officer... Doesn't really look like he belongs here, you know...'

A car that had been parked nearby had Max watching it all day, it was just as out of place as the officer; Max had lived in Toledo all his life and fifteen years was long enough to know that you didn't see many Rolls-Royces in Toledo, especially not white ones with gold trim. As soon as the officer appeared, the front passenger door of the car opened and a man got out, shut it and opened the rear passenger door. Across the street, Max had to fight to keep from letting out a low whistle, that woman definately wasn't from around Toledo, she looked like she was royalty or something, definately not your average Toledo roller-derby queen.

Back on the other side of the street, the officer walked up to the lady, dropped his bag to the ground and smiled before offering a greeting, the lady shaking her head before sliding her arms around his neck.

'Must be her husband. Huh, I thought most rich people just bought their way out of the draft,' Max mused as he watched, 'Wonder how much all that's gotta cost - Uncle Abdul would love it, probably could've gotten himself out with it, maybe.'

Not knowing about their attentive audience, the couple turned their greeting embrace into a kiss

'Wonder how long he was away,' the youth thought before he took another bite of his Hungarian Hot Dog, 'Probably for the whole thing, the way they're carrying on. They look good together, though. Wonder if that's how Laverne would act if I were the one sent off to war.'

Across the road, the two parted, smiling. Though Max couldn't make out the words, he watched as the officer said something only for his wife to laugh and shake her head while she answered, gesturing to the man who had opened her door for her, who actually bowed at the waist to the husband.

'Must be someone she hired while he was away,' Max decided.

"You're kidding!" the officer exclaimed loud enough to be heard across the street where Max was standing, causing his wife to shake her head and make some gestures while she answered.

When she had finished speaking, Max watched as the guy who had opened the door - the valet or whatever it was they were called - bowed to the officer again. When he straightened back up, the valet said something and with both hands made a sweeping gesture towards the open rear passenger door of the car. The officer started to reach for his bag, but his wife put her hand on his arm and nodded towards the valet, who picked up the bag himself and carried it around to the rear of the car. There must have been a driver still sitting inside, Max figured out, since the trunk opened without the valet doing anything so that he could put the bag into the trunk. Then the valet walked back around to hold onto the door while the officer helped his wife into the car and climbed in after her. Shutting the passenger door, the valet opened the door he had gotten out of earlier and entered the car himself. A moment later, the engine started and the car pulled out into traffic and away as Max watched, little realising what he had been witness to.


End file.
